How to highlight cell if value exists in or equals to cell in another column in Excel?

For example, you need to highlight cells in column A if these cell values exist in column B as well. This article will provide two methods for you.

Highlight cells if value exists in another column with Conditional Formatting
Highlight cells if value exists in another column with Kutools for Excel

Highlight cells if value exists in cells in another column with Conditional Formatting

You can create a conditional formatting rule to highlight cells if these cell values exist both in column A and in column B. Please do as follows.

1. Select the column range you need to highlight, and then click Conditional Formatting > New Rule under Home tab. See screenshot:

2. In the New Formatting Rule dialog box, you need to:

2.1 Select Use a formula to determine which cells to format option in the Select a Rule Type box.

2.2 Enter formula =NOT(ISNA(VLOOKUP(A2,$B:$B,1,FALSE))) into the Format values where this formula is true box. (A2 is the first cell of the column that you want to highlight, and B:B indicates another column that you want to be compared, you can change them as you need.)

2.3 Click the Format button to specify a formatting for the highlight.

2.4 Click the OK button. See screenshot:

You can see some cells in column A are highlighted if their cell values are also existing in column B.

Highlight cells if value exists in cells in another column with Kutools for Excel

Here we recommend you the Select Same & Different Cells utility of Kutools for Excel. With this utility, you can easily find cells in a column if they are also locating in another column, and shade them with fill color.

1. Click Kutools > Select > Select Same & Different Cells.

2. In the Select Same & Different Cells dialog box, please do as follows.

• A. Select the list without header you want to highlight values in the Find values in box.
• B. Select the list without header you want to compare with in the According to box.
• C. Select the Each row option in the Based on section.
• D. Select the Same values option in the Find section.
• E. Check the Fill backcolor box, and specific a color for highlighting the cells.
• F. Click the OK button. See screenshot:

Note: It will support case sensitive if you check the Case sensitive box.

3. Then a dialog box pops up to tell you how many cells are selected, please click the OK button. And you will see the specific cells are selected and highlighted with specified fill color as below screenshot shown.